Deaf President Now

by Novalie Bulin

(Mansfield TX)

My favorite among the Deaf Community are those young adults who stood their ground and demanded a Deaf President Now.

It took great courage and strength of character to stand up for themselves and the students of the future. They finally got the attention of society that the Deaf have rights and would no longer tolerate being treated as handicapped.

How incredulous to have a hearing president for a deaf university. How can one group of people tell another I know what’s best for you. Unless you are part of that group, you can never fully understand what their lives are completely like. One can sympathize or imagine but never truly know.

The time had come for real understanding and equality for the Deaf Community and the DPN movement helped to bring that to light. Because of the national attention given to this protest, the Deaf Community was able to unite. Adults and children throughout this country could finally see they were not alone and they had rights equal to any other American citizen.

It’s hard to fathom that in the then 20th Century, an entire group of people could still be discriminated against either intentionally or out of ignorance but thanks to the students, faculty and staff at Gallaudet University, the Deaf Community was given a voice that all could hear.